After seeing his reputation take a hit, Kaepernick said Friday that he's learned a valuable lesson about the media and who he can trust.

"It's been put out that I did something wrong," Kaepernick said, via the Modesto Bee. "Even though it's a bad circumstance, a bad situation, I feel like ultimately I've been blessed because it's changed my way of thinking. It's made me stronger. It's made me look at things differently."

For good or ill, millionaire professional athletes are held to a higher standard in America. When their names are associated with unsavory incidents, headlines are sure to follow.

In this case, some of the headlines took liberties with Kaepernick's involvement.

It sounds like he now realizes the best way to protect his image is to steer clear of situations that have the potential to tarnish it.